1
as in to destroy
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces
developers demolished the old warehouse to make room for the new shopping mall
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2
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
most of the buildings in the town had been demolished in the bombing raid
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3
as in to shatter
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
terrorists used a powerful pipe bomb to demolish the concrete wall around the compound
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of demolish
During Deadline’s Contenders Film: International awards-season showcase, Cheang talked about approaching the project, which is based on Andy Seto’s Chinese comic City of Darkness, and re-creating the titular enclave of British Colonial Hong Kong which was ultimately demolished in 1993.
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Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2024
After the fatal accident, the state ordered the Orlando Free Fall ride closed and it has since been demolished.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
The section over the interstate represents another 10%, but is arguably the trickiest section to demolish due to its placement, said Lisa Hiebert, a spokesperson for the St. Paul Public Works.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 4 Dec. 2024
An image from Gloria Holland’s childhood remains clear in her mind: a man dressed only in his underwear, standing outside his front door pleading that his house in the Section 14 area of Palm Springs, California, not be demolished.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for demolish 
Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2024
After the fatal accident, the state ordered the Orlando Free Fall ride closed and it has since been demolished.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
The section over the interstate represents another 10%, but is arguably the trickiest section to demolish due to its placement, said Lisa Hiebert, a spokesperson for the St. Paul Public Works.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 4 Dec. 2024
An image from Gloria Holland’s childhood remains clear in her mind: a man dressed only in his underwear, standing outside his front door pleading that his house in the Section 14 area of Palm Springs, California, not be demolished.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
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Al Shahabi also asked on Facebook where the recordings of surveillance cameras at regime security branches had gone, why some documents had been destroyed and why human rights groups had not done more to protect records.Raja Razek, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
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He is then seen waving the baton, destroying property and throwing items at police, according to his criminal complaint.Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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This increases the risk of electrical shocks, fire, and short circuits, which can ruin your holidays.Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Dec. 2024
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Over time, this can take away a company's competitive edge or even ruin its reputation with future talent.Subha Barry, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The star, who suffered a horrific snowplow accident on New Year’s Day nearly two years ago that shattered 38 bones, discussed his career and more in a wide-ranging on-stage appearance at Culture Square in the second-largest Saudi city’s old town Al-Balad.Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
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Pushpa 2 – The Rule, which is shattering records both at home and globally.Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 8 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The site includes a Chevron station, several restaurants, a tattoo shop and a strip retail center, all of which would be razed to develop the new building on the site.Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 5 Dec. 2024
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To assemble the properties, Disney razed City Winery (which before that was another media center, the home of El Diario/La Prensa) and a full block of low-rise commercial buildings, but a 2013 rezoning precluded replacing them with a single glittering glass stalagmite.Justin Davidson, Curbed, 4 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Officials are assessing damage after Cyclone Chido devastated the island of Mayotte over the weekend.Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
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West Ninth Street continued to grow throughout this time, but the Great Depression of the 1930s devastated many businesses and fraternal groups.Helaine Williams, arkansasonline.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Amid six minutes of bidding the watch soared to its final price of $840,000, totally smashing its $60,000 high estimate.Anthony DeMarco, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
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The burglar smashed the Plexiglass case that held the slippers and absconded with them.Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group most immediately responsible for Assad’s overthrow, has announced that victory is not a license to wreck the institutions of the state, nor to initiate a wave of retribution against Alawites in general.Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2024
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This couldn’t be further from the truth—especially the part about Trump’s corruption and self-dealing being no different from the norm—but Biden is doing the work of people who want to wreck the best aspects of America’s democratic ethos.Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Your emotional endurance, positive disposition, unbelievable talent (that blows me away), undeniable humor and loving, kind heart absolutely kill me.Marina Watts, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
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To have someone so esteemed give that sort of affirmation about my work really just blew me away.Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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